Storm water runoff is one of the largest sources of non point pollution in Milwaukee, according to Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers

The green roof planned for Sandburg Commons has come one step closer to a reality.

The bids for the Sandburg Hall Green Roof project were opened at the Division of State Facilities on Sept. 18, a few weeks later than had originally been anticipated.

“The original bid due date was Sept. 4 but potential vendors expressed concern that not enough time was being allowed to prepare their bids,” said Scott Peak, director of University Housing.

“It is not unusual that projects are not completed during the anticipated time frame, but the bidding delay may move this project to the spring ‘08. It is very encouraging that many companies took part in the pre-bid project tour and are interested in submitting a bid.”

Now that the bids are in place there will be a round of meetings to determine what the housing office can afford, since there are several options or upgrades included in the bid request.

The contractor will then be chosen, said Jim Wasley, associate professor for the School of Architecture and Urban Planning. Wasley provided the initial green roof concepts and professional expertise in the area.

The Sandburg Commons green roof is part of the “Storm Water Master-plan for the UWM Campus.” The plan was developed in 2002 with a grant from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District. The goal of the plan is for UWM to be a zero-discharge zone.

When completed, the 37,000 square foot roof for the Sandburg Commons will have a variety of plants, and is expected to save over 300 thousand gallons of potentially polluted water runoff annually, which would normally be routed to the storm water system.

According to Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers, storm water runoff is one of the largest sources of non point pollution in Milwaukee. Polluted runoff from city streets, roofs and yards goes straight into the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan, either directly or through storm water sewer systems.

In many areas of Milwaukee, the storm water runoff is combined with sewage and wastewater and sent through the combined sewer system to treatment plants to be cleaned.

The problem is that on rainy days, the amount of storm water entering the combined system can overwhelm its capacity, causing the combined sewerage system to overflow into the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan.

By reducing the amount of storm water runoff, UWM is aiding in the goal of cleaning up Wisconsin’s waterways, one green roof at a time.

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